www.bloischambord.co.uk. The lively northern hub of château country, Blois basks on a hillside reflected in the Loire. The eclectic Château de Blois was a favourite royal seat and spreads its various wings in an homogenous range of architectural styles from its medieval origins in the 13thC right up to the 17thC Classical phase. Fran√笵cois I’s Renaissance wing has a marvellous octagonal outside staircase. Catherine de’ Medici’s apartments are gorgeous and riddled with secret hidey-holes. Her son, Henri III, had his rival, the powerful Catholic Due de Guise, assassinated in one of the palace corridors in 1589.

Below the château, the Eglise de Saint-Nicolas is an old abbey church with a cloister and garden leading down to the river. To the east, around the 17thC Cathédrale de Saint-Louis, the streets and stairways of the old town are fun to explore.

The tourist office organizes walking tours and has details of bus tours to various châteaux. Half- and full-day passes include special admission rates. Bicycles can be hired from the SNCF station as well as several hire shops.

  Within easy reach of Blois by car or even bike are two small chateaux. The closest is Château de Beauregard (8 km S via the D765/D956), a former hunting lodge in the Forêt de Russy, with a riveting 17thC portrait gallery depicting 15 French kings, their families, courtiers, foreign and church powerbrokers in 363 panels.

The gleaming white symmetrical facade of Château de Cheverny (13 km SE via the D765) is pure Classical poetry. Built between 1604 and 1634, it remains unaltered and is still in the hands of descendants of the original owners, who keep a pack of hounds in the kennels for hunting. The interior houses collections of armour, tapestries and lavish furnishings. Summer season son et lumière performances recall the château’s history with an honourable mention for Tintin’s mate Captain Haddock, whose Marlinspike Hall was inspired by the central section of the château complete with porthole windows, more correctly known as bull’s eyes.